Chapter 298: Chapter 298: An Exceptionally Perilous Move
Xuanyuan Hongjun froze when he heard this. It seemed he had never imagined his father could truly be so heartless as to depose him.
He didn’t snap out of his stupor until the Imperial Guard came forward to seize him.
Staring at the Emperor’s cold face, he roared in fury, "Father, I’m your own son! You can’t do this to me! For my mother’s sake, I beg you, spare me this once! Father—"
"Take him away!" The Emperor turned his back, unwilling to look at him any longer.
’I’m well aware of what kind of character and ability this son of mine possesses. But he is, after all, my only son with the late Empress. In the past, he never committed any major transgressions, so I turned a blind eye, intending for him to become a ruler who simply maintains the status quo. I never imagined he would be so audacious and reckless, so morally corrupt. It’s an utter disappointment.’
’If the Great Chen Kingdom were handed over to this son, the foundation built by our ancestors would surely be destroyed in a single generation.’
’For the sake of the kingdom, I had to be ruthless and revoke his title as Crown Prince.’
Seeing the Emperor remained unmoved, Xuanyuan Hongjun was plunged into despair.
Suddenly, he glimpsed the longsword tucked into the belt of an Imperial Guard, and a crazy idea flashed through his mind.
He steeled himself, swiftly drew the guard’s sword, and charged toward the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, look out—"
The assembled ministers cried out in alarm.
The Emperor stood with his back to the crowd. He was not feeling good about deposing the Crown Prince and was lost in sorrow when he suddenly heard the ministers’ shouts.
He had just turned around when he saw the Crown Prince charging at him with a sword. His confidant eunuch rushed forward to block the attack and was run clean through.
The Emperor’s pupils contracted, and he was filled with uncontrollable rage. "Xuanyuan Hongjun, you dare! Are you trying to commit patricide?"
Xuanyuan Hongjun was already in a frenzy. Hearing this, he said grimly, "So what if I am? Father, you won’t give me a way to live, so I can only carve out a bloody path for myself." As he spoke, he lunged forward and pressed the sword against the Emperor’s neck.
The Emperor stared in disbelief at the son he had always doted on and valued. The last glimmer of hope in his heart was extinguished.
He said coldly, "Kill me, and you think you can take the throne? What a foolish fantasy."
"Father, just show me some love. You’re getting old anyway, so why not abdicate to me sooner rather than later? I promise I will be a filial son and serve you well," Xuanyuan Hongjun said humbly, his eyes bloodshot.
"And if I refuse?" the Emperor asked, his heart turning to ice.
"If you refuse, Father, then I will have no choice but to commit a great treason." As Xuanyuan Hongjun spoke, he pressed the sword in his hand a little harder.
The Emperor’s face turned pale with anger.
Everyone was stunned by this scene.
"Deposed Crown Prince, don’t be rash!"
"Release the Emperor!"
"Deposed Crown Prince, don’t compound your mistakes."
The ministers all tried to reason with him.
"Brother, don’t be impulsive! That’s our father! Don’t act on a whim. Let him go! We can discuss whatever it is!"
Prince Gao Yang, who had been resting nearby, rushed over as soon as he heard of the trouble. He never expected to see the Crown Prince holding a sword to their father’s neck. Scared out of his wits, he shouted frantically.
But how could Xuanyuan Hongjun listen to reason at a time like this?
He knew that if he let go now, there would be no way out for him. Since he’d already gone this far, he might as well go all the way. He gripped the sword, stood behind the Emperor, and urged, "Father, if you want to live, issue an edict now to abdicate the throne to me."
"In your dreams!" the Emperor thundered, raising his voice. "Someone, hear my decree! If anything should happen to me, the throne is to pass directly to Prince Rui! Have Prince Rui ascend immediately!"
At this, not only did Xuanyuan Hongjun’s expression change, but Prince Gao Yang’s face darkened as well.
"Xuanyuan Hongjun, are you satisfied now? If I die, you will never get the throne!" the Emperor said coldly.
Xuanyuan Hongjun yelled, "Father, how can you be so biased? I am your most beloved son!"
"You know I dote on you the most, yet this is how you repay me?" the Emperor said with a detached expression, his heart filled with both disappointment and regret.
"In that case, we father and son can reunite in the afterlife... AHH!" Before Xuanyuan Hongjun could finish, he let out a sudden, wretched scream, and the sword in his hand clattered to the ground.
Everyone looked over to see that Lu Zhan had appeared behind the deposed Crown Prince at some unknown point and had clamped down on a pressure point in his sword hand, forcing him to drop the weapon.
"Lu. Zhan!" Xuanyuan Hongjun’s eyes blazed with fury. "You dare ruin my plans?" With that, he reached out with his other hand, trying to grab Lu Zhan’s throat.
Lu Zhan was prepared. He tilted his head to dodge the attack and violently threw Xuanyuan Hongjun toward the Imperial Guard, who stood ready. "The deposed Crown Prince has committed insubordination and attempted regicide! Such treason! Why are you not seizing him at once?"
The moment he finished speaking, the Imperial Guard thrust their swords forward, pressing them against Xuanyuan Hongjun’s body.
Xuanyuan Hongjun was instantly immobilized.
"Father, are you all right?" Prince Gao Yang snapped back to his senses and was the first to rush forward and support the Emperor.
The Emperor’s face was pale, but he held himself steady. Pointing at Xuanyuan Hongjun, he said, word by word, "Throw him into the Heavenly Prison! He is to be tried for treason!"
Hearing this, Xuanyuan Hongjun collapsed like a boneless heap.
"Shen Congrong, you will personally escort the deposed Crown Prince back to the capital. Also, issue my decree: Prince Rui is to act as regent and manage the affairs of the court." The Emperor quickly followed up with another order.
Commander Shen immediately stepped forward. "As you command!"
Soon, Xuanyuan Hongjun was taken away.
As he was about to leave the temple, he suddenly turned and looked back at Lu Zhan.
"Lu. Zhan. You’ve brought me to this! I swear I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!"
Hearing this, the crowd was indignant. The deposed Crown Prince was clearly just lashing out and blaming the wrong person.
The Emperor also patted Lu Zhan’s shoulder and said, "Mr. Lu, you have performed a great service in saving me. I will reward you handsomely!"
Lu Zhan lifted his robes and knelt. "I am only grateful that Your Majesty is unharmed. I dare not claim any credit."
The Emperor personally helped him up. "Poised and composed, you resolved the crisis with a single, unexpected move. Lu Zhan, I was not mistaken about you."
"It is only because of Your Majesty’s cultivation that I am who I am today. Thank you for giving me this opportunity," Lu Zhan said, lowering his eyes.
’Lu Zhenbei raised a fine son,’ the Emperor thought with a surge of emotion. ’In contrast, I have many sons, but few are competent. Especially the Crown Prince, whom I valued so highly... to think he would...’ He sighed internally.
Thinking of how the Crown Prince had just held him hostage, the Emperor’s eyes dimmed, and a chill spread through his heart.
"Your Majesty, should the trip to the hunting ground be postponed?" Lu Zhan asked.
"No need. I can withstand a storm like this." The Emperor shook his head in refusal. He ordered that the confidant eunuch who had blocked the sword for him be given a lavish burial and instructed Duan Ling to see to the proper resettlement of those young women.
"I will see that each of them is returned to her hometown," Duan Ling said respectfully, though inwardly he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
’Old Lu’s move was truly ruthless and precise, but it was also exceptionally risky. After all, the Crown Prince was the Emperor’s most valued son. A single misstep could have brought disaster upon himself. Fortunately, the Crown Prince dug his own grave. The Emperor must have completely given up on him now. The punishment went from confinement in the Imperial Clan Court to being thrown directly into the Heavenly Prison and tried for treason. The deposed Crown Prince’s power is gone. There’s no way he can ever make a comeback.’
